FlightScope Mevo vs Swing Caddie SC300i
FlightScope Mevo and Swing Caddie SC300i are excellent golf launch monitors that aim to help you improve your golf skills. Each uses doppler radar technology to assess ball flight characteristics. But which should you choose? That’s the question we try to answer here. As you will learn, both launch monitors are very similar and offer exceptional performance.
Read on to find out more about the technologies and features available on each product and discover which product would benefit you the most.
Technology
Unlike many launch monitors on the market, FlightScope Mevo does not use cameras to assess ball flight properties. Instead, it relies on a 3D Doppler radar system that emits a signal and then bases flight calculations on how long it takes to return. Likewise, the Swing Caddie SC300i uses a similar Doppler radar system. As with the Mevo, you place SC300i behind your hitting area and it will immediately begin scanning and providing you with feedback on the shots you take.
Both products provide you with a tremendous array of stats you can use to evaluate your skills. Mevo displays carry distance, clubhead speed, flight time, apex height, spin rate, vertical launch angle, ball speed and smash factor. SC300i adds total distance, loft angle and total number of shots. Spin rate is available for 8 irons through drivers in the SC300i’s companion phone app. Mevo does not offer lateral distance or dispersion for golf ball tracking.
The performance of both units is exceptional but because of the way the radar systems work, units may not detect low and wide shots. Fluorescent lights, metal and heavy machinery may affect the performance of the device’s Doppler-based technology when you use SC300i or Mevo indoors.
Indoor/Outdoor Use
Doppler-based systems are best for outdoor practice, though you can set them up indoors, so long as you have enough space.
For Mevo’s system, you’ll need at least 15 feet of space. You need to place the device up to 7 feet behind you and have 8 feet of ball flight available to measure stats accurately. Ideally, you should have closer to 20 feet available, making it the type of system that you might install in a studio.
The requirements for the SC300i are a little different. For indoor use, it requires a minimum of 6 ½ feet between the ball and the net and must be placed 5 feet behind the ball. So the SC300i may be slightly more suitable for golfers with less indoor space.
Both Mevo and SC300i are most suitable for outdoors. Unlike photometric launch monitors, weather conditions don’t adversely affect readings.
Features
Mevo and SC300i differ most in terms of their features. FlightScope markets Mevo as a portable launch monitor that helps you improve your performance. The device comes with FlightScope’s FS Skills app which lets users create custom challenges to improve all aspects of their game.
SC300i features an app of its own. Installing and using the Swing Caddie app requires very little effort. Once you’re inside, you simply turn on your SC300i and then tap the Bluetooth icon in the top. The app concentrates on providing you with in-depth data and visuals you can use to track your performance more accurately.
Perhaps the most interesting accuracy-enhancing tool on the SC300i is the barometric pressure calibration. Swing Caddie includes a sensor that calibrates the device automatically to provide even more accurate readings.
Both Mevo and Swing Caddie have also thought carefully about the kinds of experiences golfers want when they are practicing their shots. The voice distance output feature, for instance, negates the need to look at a device or your phone screen to get feedback. Instead, the companion app simply reads the metric aloud so that golfers can continue focusing on their shots.
Phone apps of both units also offer video clipping, allowing you to automatically record, clip, overlay data, and save videos to review later. It also captures and stores data from each session, letting you see your performance over time and share your progress with your coach.
For those wanting to accurately measure ball spin when hitting into the net, FlightScope supplies Mevo with metallic stickers. Simply attach a sticker to a golf ball and place the ball on the ground so that the sticker faces away from the radar. The system will use the sticker to assess spin more. You don’t need to use the sticker when using Mevo outdoors.
Please note that Mevo and SC300i do not have built-in cameras, so you will be taking videos with your phone using either FS Mevo Golf or Swing Caddie app.
Both of these launch monitors can’t track side spin and horizontal launch angle which means they can’t provide you with the ball flight path.
Conclusion
Both Mevo and SC300i use the same basic Doppler radar technology and have similar features. The major difference between the two comes down to the space you need to practice indoors - 15ft min (Mevo) vs 12ft min (SC300i). Also, and if you would like the convenience of seeing your stats on the screen of the launch monitor itself, then SC300i might be for you, if you don't mind using an app only to access your stats then Mevo is a great option. Both units, however, are very affordable making them accessible to almost every golfer out there.
